


Why So Blue?

by happyevraftr



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Adorable, Hilarity Ensues, M/M, Sexy Times, boys, unicorns cause problems
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-08
Updated: 2012-12-08
Packaged: 2017-11-20 15:56:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/587102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happyevraftr/pseuds/happyevraftr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur hates unicorns. The last time he saw one it nearly ruined his Kingdom and now <i>this</i>. He's---well, he's blue. From head to toe. He looks like a giant blueberry and Merlin is being no help at all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Why So Blue?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mushroomtale](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mushroomtale/gifts).



> To mushroomtale: I had so much fun writing this for you. It's been a while since I did fluffy and it was so refreshing. Happy Holidays dear! I hope you enjoy :)
> 
> To vix_specs: Thank you for the beta. I appreciate it so very much!!

Arthur hates unicorns. _Hates_ them.

The first time he saw one his Kingdom almost fell and now _this_. 

“You know with the right tunic it wouldn’t—“

“ _Mer_ lin!” he yells in exasperation, “I think people will notice my skin is **blue** no matter which way you try to spin it. Can you please explain to me why I look like a giant blueberry?” He holds his hands out in front of front of him and shakes his head at the bright blue hue covering him from head to toe. He looks ridiculous. After their hunting trip yesterday he had been perfectly fine, but this morning he woke up looking like he’s been dumped in a vat of dye.

Merlin awkwardly shifts his weight from foot to foot and wrings his hands together. “Well-”

Arthur sighs and rakes a hand through his hair- which also happens to be blue. “That would be a no.”

“We’ll go find Anhora.” Merlin says as he nods vigorously. Immediately, he begins to scramble around the room, gathering clothes and shoving them into a travel bag. Arthur twitches an eyebrow ,half in amusement and half in irritation, as Merlin trips over clothes he should have picked up two days ago and flails around like he’d been at the tavern all day. 

If someone asked him to describe Merlin in one word he would automatically think ‘incompetent’, because he really truly is the worst manservant he’s ever seen. However, what he would actually say is ‘loyal’, because since the man arrived there’s never been a moment he hasn’t been faithfully at Arthur’s side.

“Any time Merlin,” he goads just because he can and it makes Merlin flail a little more which makes Arthur laugh internally.

“I’m ready, let’s go!” Merlin yells as he stands up straight. His hair is sticking out at all ends, the bag is carelessly hung over his shoulder and clothes are sticking out of it at several different places. In short, he looks a mess.

Arthur rolls his eyes and wraps a cloak around his shoulders. He makes sure to pull the hood as low as possible so no one will see him in this state. The last thing he wants or needs is to lose the respect of his people. 

They quickly make their way to the stables, being sure to avoid as many people as possible along the way. Merlin prepares their horses quickly and efficiently for once. An urgency itches underneath Arthur’s skin and it takes a good portion of his self control to not spur his horse into a full run out of town. Instead he keeps it to a walk to avoid any extra attention on them. It doesn’t seem like he breathes again until they’re out of the gates.

“What if we can’t find him?” Arthur asks. “If I’m stuck like this forever I can’t rule a kingdom. The people will see me as cursed or sickly.” Worry creases his brow as he thinks of a future for Camelot without him. Who would keep her safe?

“Anhora was fair last time, you will be fine-- I promise.” Merlin responds without hesitation.

Arthur often wonders what the source of his servant’s blind optimism is, but he still has yet to figure it out. Regardless, he’s grateful for it. No matter how dire the situation, Merlin is there with an encouraging word or wisdom beyond his years.

\\\\\\*~*~*///

It’s still mid-morning when they arrive in the same clearing Arthur had seen the Unicorn in the day before. Both Merlin and Arthur dismount their horses and look around.

“How exactly is this supposed to work? Is there a magical song and dance we have to do to make him appear?” Arthur asks.

A deep voice answers from behind him. “I assure you that won’t be necessary, but it would be highly entertaining if you would like to try.” 

Arthur spins around to find Anhora standing a few feet away. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say the man was smirking at him.

“I didn’t do anything to your precious unicorn, so why have I been cursed again?!” Arthur asks vehemently, stepping forward and raising his sword. He feels Merlin’s presence at his shoulder; whether to hold him back or try and protect him in some misguided way, he isn’t sure.

“Ah, you mistake a gift for a curse young King.” Anhora states as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“How is this,” Arthur gestures up and down his body, “a gift?”

“The answer lies with your servant.” Anhora breaks their gaze and turns his onto Merlin. “The time for keeping secrets has come to an end Emrys. Your destiny awaits and it cannot come to pass if you continue to hide your true self.”

Merlin steps around him and Arthur lowers his sword. He watches them in rapt attention. Trying to understand what’s happening. 

“That should be my choice to make!” Merlin yells. Arthur’s never seen him so distressed and it causes a bubble of unease to balloon and settle in his stomach.

“Only when there is nothing separating you and the King will he return to normal. It is your choice to make, but the future of Camelot is now in your hands.” With those final words, Anhora fades from existence leaving Merlin and Arthur alone in the clearing.

“What is he talking about? Have you been keeping something from me?” Arthur asks, his head spinning a little. The last person he expected to have secrets, and be able to keep them for that matter, is Merlin. 

“I have no idea what he was talking about. Crazy old man!” Merlin exclaims, trying a little too hard to be cheerful. Arthur can see right through it; the way Merlin’s hands are clenched into fists, how his smile is tight and strained and how his eyes look panicked and scared. 

He steps forward and places a hand on Merlin’s shoulder. “You know there is nothing you could tell me that would change your place in Camelot.”

The hope that blooms in Merlin’s eyes is quickly squashed by what Arthur can only describe as pure and unadulterated fear and sorrow. He pushes past Arthur, carelessly bumping into his shoulder on the way to the horses.

“We should get back. I’ll find a way to get you better.” Merlin says as he mounts his horse.

“What about what Anho--”

“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. I’ll find another way!”

He’s never heard Merlin speak with such authority and finality. It makes Arthur pause and frown in confusion. There’s something he’s missing here. 

They ride back to Camelot in complete silence. The mood has turned sombre and morose; something Arthur isn’t at all used to around Merlin. Something is horribly wrong and it makes Arthur’s stomach turn even more than the thought of being permanently blue. 

Once they’re back in Camelot he doesn’t even get a chance to try and talk to Merlin. As soon as the horses are unsaddled and put away he literally runs away, leaving a very confused Arthur standing alone in the stables. 

How had he missed this before? The guilt and secrecy that seems to loom over Merlin’s head like a dark shadow. Maybe he didn’t want to see it, but now he doesn’t have a choice. No matter how clumsy and disastrous his fool of a servant can be, Arthur still considers him a friend and advisor. 

There’s not any shade to hide in at midday so he walks slowly and as inconspicuously as possible back to his chambers.

\\\\\\*~*~*///

The next several days pass by slowly. Each minute feels like an hour. Time is his enemy and boredom his constant state of existence. By the time the weekend rolls around, Arthur has had enough.

Merlin has poked and prodded him, shoved potions down his throat, made him sleep with all kinds of odd objects under his pillow and forced him to eat some of the nastiest porridge in his life. 

None of it has worked.

He’s still bright blue from head to toe. 

Worst of all his kingdom has gone a week without him and people are starting to get anxious. The lie Gaius told is that Arthur just has a little cold, but is highly contagious and can’t leave his chambers. It’s not going to last much longer. 

“Good morning!” Merlin says, far too chipper for the early hour, and sets down a tray full of potion bottles and gods know what else, onto the table. He hums to himself as he pops the cork off one of the vials and brings it over to him.

“Now this one I think is--”

“Enough.” Arthur says and bats Merlin’s hand away. “Enough.” 

Merlin looks at him with dread before sighing deeply and letting his head droop in defeat.

“You must tell me. Camelot needs her King.” Arthur’s next words are tinged with a bitterness and hurt he refuses to acknowledge. “Even if you don’t trust me or want to see me well, do it for the thousands of people outside that window that rely on me for protection.”

Merlin’s head snaps up at that, conviction shining in his eyes. “I trust you.” 

“Then tell me already. What could be so damning that you’d keep it from me so long?” Arthur’s desperate to know, to put this behind them already.

“I have magic.” Merlin blurts out so softly and quickly that Arthur barely hears him.

“What was that?” he asks.

“I have magic!” Merlin all but yells at him. His breathe is laboured, chest heaving from the exertion of it. 

Instinctually Arthur wants to throw his head back and laugh. The notion of Melrin!- Merlin!- having magic is so far fetched. They’ve even been here before; Merlin shouting his claim of sorcery in an ill-advised attempt to save Gwen’s life. 

There’s something different about this admission though. There’s a solid ring of truth to it that Arthur simply cannot ignore. For a second he doesn’t feel anything. So overwhelmed that he’s devoid of any thought, incapable of moving. He’s trying to reconcile what he knows of magic and what he knows of Merlin and it’s like trying to mesh two puzzle pieces together that just don’t fit. 

The first emotion that finally clicks into place is pain. A hurt felt so deeply and acutely that he wants to double over from the force of it. “Why haven’t you told me before? You say you trust me, but you obviously don’t.”

“Because the first day I walked into Camelot I watched a sorcerer burn and I was terrified you would sentence me to the same fate. But mainly because if you can’t forgive me then I won’t be able to protect you any longer and like you said: Camelot needs her King.”

It’s not that Arthur expected Merlin to try and take over the throne; he’d already had plenty of opportunities to do so over the years, but hearing him say ‘protect you’ makes some of the uneasiness dissipate. 

“Do you honestly think I would have you killed, after everything? Has even one person been burned since I became King?” Arthur asks in righteous anger. “You call me a just King, but you don’t even believe it yourself!”

“I--” Merlin looks away and closes his eyes for a brief moment. “I have so many excuses, so many reasons why I haven’t told you, but to be honest none of them seem to matter now.”

Arthur rubs his brow in frustration and balls his hand into a fist. He needs to know more about all of this, why Merlin started practicing, how often he uses it, why he came to Camelot of all places, but first and most important he needs to say- “I forgive you.”

“What?” Merlin asks. 

“I said, I forgive you. For all of it, the lies and secrecy. I don’t know what we’re going to do with all this, but for now-- I forgive you.” Arthur says.

The smile that splits Merlin’s face is beautiful and more genuine than Arthur can ever remember seeing. Merlin steps forward and places a hand on his shoulder, squeezing tightly.

“Thank you. Thank you so much.” he says. 

Arthur smiles back and nods in response, as if this isn’t a huge fucking deal- which it is. They’re going to make it through this in one piece though and that’s all that matters. 

“So why am I still blue?” Arthur wonders aloud. 

Merlin averts his gaze and his cheeks blaze a bright pink. 

Another secret? 

“What could possibly be worse than having magic? Have you done something with it you shouldn’t have?” The idea of Merlin hurting anything or anyone is absurd, but he has to ask.

“No! It has nothing to do with magic, but it is worse. This you won’t forgive me for.” Merlin says and his voice is back to being dread-filled. 

“ _Mer_ lin just spit it out already! I know you’re a little daft sometimes, but I hardly thought you a blushing maide--”

He’s cut off by Merlin lunging forward and pressing their lips together. Arthur is caught entirely off guard. He’d never once thought Merlin harboured-- _feelings_ , for him. It’s a surprise, but not entirely unwelcome. He’d be lying to himself if he hadn’t thought of this once or twice over the years.

Merlin is just starting to pull back when Arthur realizes he’s been the equivalent of a statue. He will not lose Merlin in this matter, so he wraps his arms around Merlin’s neck and hauls him back in, kissing him properly.

He lets his mouth open slowly and snakes his tongue out to run along Merlin’s lips. They’re a little chapped, but it still causes a thrill to run down Arthur’s spine. There’s been so many times he’s thought of shutting Merlin up with a kiss. Wondered what he would taste like. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect to find out.

Merlin growls into the kiss and tries to climb him like a monkey. Apparently being clumsy was never an act and Merlin sends them both tumbling onto the bed. His arms and legs go flailing everywhere, tangling themselves with Arthur’s.

When they hit the mattress Arthur lets out an oomf and puts his hands on Merlin’s hips to steady them.

“Do you even know how to walk?” Arthur jibes.

Merlin gives him a withering look. “Yes thank you, I do.”

Arthur uses his weight to flip them over and pin Merlin’s wrists above his head. He looks at where his fingers connect with Merlin’s skin and his stomach tightens in lust. “You could get away from me if you wanted, couldn’t you?”

Merlin hesitates for a second and swallows thickly before saying, “Yes, if I wanted, but I don’t.”

“Any other secrets I should know about?” Arthur asks, even though he knows the answer. The blue has already started fading away from his skin; slowly returning to it’s normal white. 

“Well there is this whole destiny thing, but--” 

Arthur takes the opportunity to stop Merlin before he gets started; grinding down into his lap. He bites his lip and sucks in a breath as their hard cocks slide together. Merlin squawks and arms fly up to hold on to Arthur for dear life. 

Nails dig into his shoulders as Merlin bucks up into him. Arthur bends down and nips at the ridiculous ears he secretly loves, nibbling and licking until Merlin is a writhing mess beneath him. Perhaps they should take the time to do this right, get out of their clothes and explore each other’s bodies. Arthur doesn’t have the self control for that right now though. He’s wanted this for as long as he can remember and Merlin is so hot beneath him.

He sets a steady rhythm and watches with lidded eyes as Merlin falls apart. His eyes snap open and he arches off the bed, squeezing his hands with everything he’s got as he shouts Arthur’s name through his orgasm. 

Arthur is quick to follow, balls pulling up tight to his body as he spills in his nightclothes. He has just enough sense to fall to Merlin’s side, rather than crushing him.

Comfortable silence fills the room as Arthur tries to catch his shaky breath. Merlin’s hands scootches across the bed until it finds his and he laces their fingers together. Arthur rolls his eyes, but still squeezes back.

“I really do believe you’re the greatest King that’s ever lived.” Merlin whispers quietly.

It makes Arthur smile and grip Merlin’s hand a little tighter. 

Maybe Unicorns aren’t so terrible after all.

**END**


End file.
